Cigar lighter



July 14, 1970 R. STUART CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Dec. 1. 1967 United States Patent 3,520,328 CIGAR LIGHTER Robert Stuart, 400 E. Randolph, Chicago, Ill. 60601 Filed Dec. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 687,313 Int. Cl. F23d 3/02 US. Cl. 137-571 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cigar lighter containing a flexible bag with inlet and outlet valves for filling the lighter with fluid and retaining a reserve of fuel for later delivery to the lighter supply.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cigar lighter having a lighter fuel containing chamber, a flexible bag adjacent the chamber, inlet and outlet valves in the bag for filling the chamber through the bag and for filling the bag with a reserve of fuel, the bag being compressible for later delivery of fuel to the chamber through the bag outlet valve.

This invention relates to cigar lighters and like instruments wherein a fuel supply is intermittently burned to provide a flame.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a reserve fuel supply usable when a main supply has been exhausted and until the lighter instrument may be refilled.

Another purpose is to provide a cigar lighter having a reserve fuel supply device usable in filling the lighter with fuel and in providing a reserve fuel supply.

Another purpose is to provide a reserve fuel supply container manually operable to deliver a reserve supply of fuel.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation in cross section;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a step in the operation of the device;

FIG. 3 is a view of a variant form.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, numeral 1 generally designates a lighter housing. The lighter housing may carry the usual lighter elements such as the spark-creating Wheel or roller 2, a flint 3, a windbreak 4 and a cover 5 hinged as at 6 to enclose the elements 24. It will be understood that a suitable wick (not shown) is positioned within wind break 4 and that the elements 2-6 are located at one end of housing 1.

The opposite end of housing 1 may be substantially entirely open, carrying a closure 10 hinged to housing 1 as at 11 for closing the open end portion of housing 1. A suitable catch arrangement 12 may be provided for holding the closure 10 in a closed position on the housing 1.

A fuel supply chamber 15 is provided in housing 1 and may contain suitable wadding 16. The chamber 15 is in communication with the above described wick for delivery of fuel creative of the desired flame within wind break'4.

Positioned adjacent the opposite end of chamber 15 is a reserve fuel supply container member 20. When wadding 16 is employed, for example, the member 20 may be in contact therewith. Member 20 constitutes a container formed substantially and conveniently of flexible material. The member 20 has a continuous side wall portion 21, an inner end wall 22 adjacent chamber 15 and an outer end wall 23 adjacent the openable end of housing 1.

Formed in the inner end wall 22 is a one-way outlet valve 25 positioned for delivery of fuel from the area within container 20 to the chamber 15 and to the wadding 16 when the latter is present.

Positioned in outer wall 23 is a one-way inlet valve 26 arranged for delivery of fuel to the area within container 20, the valve 26 being accessible, when closure 10 is open, to the area externally of housing 1.

The valves 25, 26 are shown as formed of flexible mate rial and conveniently formed integrally with container 20. As illustrated, the valves 25, 26 consist of flexible lips openable in response to an excess of pressure on one side of the valve and closable in response to an excess of pressure on the opposite side of the valve. It will be understood that one-way valves 25, 26 may take a variety of well known forms of check valve without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

Whereas there has been shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description are to be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will be apparent to those skilled in the art and which wall fall within the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, it will be understood that a suitable supporting flange or similar structure could be formed in housing 1 to position container 20 in the absence of wadding 16. Similarly, while container 20 is preferably formed entirely of flexible ma terial, it will be realized that the wall 23 may alone be formed of flexible material without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

In FIG. 3, the well-known means 311 for advancing the flint 3 extends beyond the reserve container 21a for ready accessibility without removal of the reserve fuel reservoir.

In FIG. 3, also, the closure 10a takes the form of a receptacle designed to slidably receive the housing chamber 1.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

The cigar lighter is initially filled with fuel by inverting the lighter, opening closure 10 and positioning a suitable filler nozzle at valve 26. Fuel delivered through valve 26 will fill container 20. As additional fuel is forced through valve 26 into container 20 the excess of pressure in container 20 will open valve 25 for delivery of fuel to chamber 15. When chamber 15 has been filled, the filler device is removed from inlet 26 leaving both the normal fuel supply chamber 15 and the reserve supply container 20 filled with fuel.

The user then operates the lighter of the invention in the normal manner. When chamber 15 has been exhausted and the user does not have a filler device readily available, the chamber 15 may be replenished from the reserve container 20 to provide suflicient fuel for use of the lighter until the user is again in position to fill the lighter with a suitable filler device.

Replenishment of the chamber 15 is easily and simply accomplished in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. The cover 11 is opened and the users finger may be employed to press downwardly on the flexible outer wall 23 of container 20. The resulting distortion of wall 23 is effective to force fuel through the one-way outlet valve 25 and into chamber 15. The pressure of the fuel in container 20 retains the inlet valve 26 in closed position. When the fuel has been expelled from reserve container 20 the cover 10 is again closed and the lighter is rendered usable for an additional period and the operator is alerted to the need for refilling the lighter at the next opportunity.

Thus an economical, compact device is provided to insure against the common, annoying situation in which a cigar lighter is rendered useless for lack of fuel and without warning.

There is claimed:

1. A cigar lighter including a housing, a fuel chamber in said housing, a fuel container adjacent said chamber and having an outlet valve communicating said container and chamber when open, said container being formed of resilient, flexible, manually deformable material, said container having a flexible portion movable toward said outlet valve to open said valve.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said outlet valve is openable in response to an excess of pressure within said container over the pressure in said chamber, said excess of pressure being created by manual deformation of said container.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said outlet valve constitutes a one-way valve carried by said container and openable in response to an excess of fuel pressure within said container over the pressure externally of said container, said excess of pressure being created by manual deformation of said container.

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including an inlet valve positioned to deliver fuel to said container, said inlet valve being closed in response to an excess of pressure within said container over that externally of said container.

5. The structure of claim 1 characterized by and including a one-way inlet valve carried by said container and accessible externally of said housing.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein said container is positioned adjacent one end of said fuel chamber, said outlet valve is a one-way outlet valve carried by said container in position to direct fuel from said container to said chamber and characterized by and including an inlet valve carried by said container in a position accessible from the area externally of said housing, said outlet valve being openable in response to excess fuel pressure in said container over that in said chamber, said container being manually compressible to expel fuel therefrom through said outlet valve.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said container comprises a bag formed entirely of flexible material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,405,851 10/1968 Barker et a1. 25l354 X 1,278,388 9/1918 Sadlo 43 l319 2,703,483 3/1955 Lipic 431-319 X 2,741,109 4/1956 Dupuis 431-319 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,615 1/1964 Austria.

LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 431-319 

